Jeremy Lin unperturbed by trade rumors

BEIJING--NBA star Jeremy Lin (林書豪) directly addressed the rumors that the Houston Rockets may be seeking to offload him Wednesday during a basketball camp in Beijing, telling reporters there that he has come to terms with the possibility of being traded.

The Taiwanese American point guard and devout Christian offered a quote from the Bible to express his feelings, saying he would "turn the other cheek" to what he has previously called a disrespectful move by his team.

"I'm still a player with the Rockets right now," he told reporters in Chinese, vowing to continue playing hard despite strong indications the Rockets want to replace him with free agent Carmelo Anthony.

In an overture to Anthony, the Rockets put up promotional images of the basketball star in a Rockets No. 7 jersey — the one currently worn by Lin.

But Lin said he has mellowed out about the Melo rumors.

"If I get traded, I get traded," he said, adding that as long as he can wake up every day to play ball, "I'll still be very happy."

Reporters, meanwhile, noted that his previously shaky grasp on Mandarin Chinese has improved greatly since his last Asia visit, which Lin attributed to online lessons and hitting the books hard while not on the court.

Lin arrived in Beijing Monday for what has become an annual tour of China and Taiwan for him.

He is set to also head for Shanghai, Wuhan, Guangzhou and Dongguan in China.